Country music singer-songwriter Eric Church is giving back to his home state of North Carolina in the wake of the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
“It’s a refuge for me,” he said of his home state. “It’s a place where I’ve always said my soul was at rest.”
“Specifically in the area that I’m from, the mountains of western North Carolina were devastated. There are places that are just biblically gone,” he said.
Hurricane Helene first made landfall Sept. 26 on the Gulf Coast in Florida as a Category 4 storm and wreaked havoc across the Southeast.
More than 200 people have died in what is considered to be one of the deadliest storms to hit the U.S. this century. Millions of homes and businesses have been left without power, with catastrophic flooding destroying hundreds of roads and bridges.
The musician told fans and followers they can donate to his fund, but helping him raise awareness of the devastation will also assist in the relief efforts.
Earlier this week, the Granite Falls native took to social media calling for a community effort to help people who are still stranded, trapped, or in need of extraction from flood zones.
Church was going to hold off on releasing any new music until next year, but given the circumstances, he felt this new song was the best way to help those in dire need.
The singer said “Darkest Hour” was broadly about challenging times that people have had in their life, but has since forever dedicated the song to the victims and unsung heroes of Hurricane Helene, as many people are in “their darkest hour right now.”
“Hang in there, because in your darkest hour there are people that are going to come running to help you,” Church said.
Other famous names have joined in on relief efforts, including actor Chris Pratt who in recent days called on Americans to join him in helping the victims.
Pratt said he will be making donations, before noting “people showing up and putting boots on the ground” are what make the “fabric of society, not the government.”
